I was born in Palmer, Alaska and spent my first few years in a log cabin my parents built in Trapper Creek near Mt. Denali. My father was a bush pilot who flew rescue off of the mountain while my mother, a physician, treated injured trappers, hunters, hikers, and the random fishing injury.
Although I was born in Alaska, I was raised in Seminole, Florida on Julia Street. My childhood was filled with every kind of imaginable fun. My entire neighborhood walked to school together and roamed our corner of the world much like the kids in Barbara Cooney's beloved book, Roxaboxen. We built go-karts, forts, and haunted houses. We played soccer and football together and shared books with everyone we knew. It was a wonderful place to be a child. When I went to high school it was just down the street with everyone I knew growing up.
After I graduated from Eckerd College with a bachelors in American Studies, I traveled all over America. I lived in New York and California, and eventually earned my Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. After nine years of teaching in St. Petersburg, I moved to Denver in June 2013. I am lucky to spend the 2014-2015 school year with fifth graders at Steck.
Although I was born in Alaska, I was raised in Seminole, Florida on Julia Street. My childhood was filled with every kind of imaginable fun. My entire neighborhood walked to school together and roamed our corner of the world much like the kids in Barbara Cooney's beloved book, Roxaboxen. We built go-karts, forts, and haunted houses. We played soccer and football together and shared books with everyone we knew. It was a wonderful place to be a child. When I went to high school it was just down the street with everyone I knew growing up.